Always
by Hungergamesobsession
Summary: There is ALWAYS love in the air. There is ALWAYS a threat. There is ALWAYS hope. The rebels may have won the rebellion, but what other tragedies are there to come? There are far worse games to play... Write reviews please!
1. Chapter 1

I sit silently in the chair on my porch clutching some whiskey in my shaky hand. I hesitate to take it many times, because I know the awful effect it can have on your body. I haven't taken one sip of it yet. This would be the first time, not including the one sip I took at Haymitch's house the day I found out I was going back to the arena, that I would take a sip of it. Once the nasty, killing liquid reaches the tip of my tongue, I spit the remainder of it out and immediately throw it across the porch and onto the ground. It makes me angry that I attempt to do this so many times, but when I think about Haymitch and his issues, I throw it out.

Thinking too much about Peeta causes me pain and agony. I don't know if he will ever be himself again, or if I will even see him again. I feel the fear throughout myself when I think of him; the fear of losing him again and the fear of him hastily clutching his strong hands around my neck again. Every time this comes to my mind, I scream as if it is a nightmare, being completely in the midst of the day.

I begin to recover slowly, and my thoughts fade away one by one about anything and everything that causes me pain. So that sums it down to everything. I go for a long hunt each day and it is in fact the only time I smile on the rarest occasions. Haymitch comes to check on me every once in a while. Of course, he only can do this when he is the least bit sober.

"Katniss! I need you to come here! Katniss!" Haymitch yells at the top of his lungs. I swiftly snap out of my habitual daydreams and I find Haymitch lying on the ground in front of his house.

"Haymitch what's wrong? What happened?" I ask him frantically and his face brightens up.

"Oh, sweetheart. Nothing to get worried about. I just need you to help me set up these Christmas lights," he says.

Ugh. Thanks for taking me out of my wonderful daydream idiot.

"Haymitch! It is nowhere near Christmas you doof!" I yell at him trying not to burst out in laughter.

"Hey, now you. Don't use that language with me. Understand?" he snaps at me.

"Language, Haymitch? What part of that statement would you call language?" I say quoting the word language.

"You know what? Shutup! That's all I'm going to say," he tells me in anger.

"Alright, fine then. Forget the lights. Let's go make you some hot chocolate," I tell him attempting to distract him. He gives me a slight grin. I actually didn't think he liked hot chocolate. Whatever then.

I storm into Haymitch's house which is disgustingly messy. I search every counter and drawer in his kitchen, and I cannot find anything whatsoever. Instead, I just drag his lazy, drunken body to my house. I realize this is the first time I am helping Haymitch since I got back from the, you know. Can't say. Too many memories apply there.

He moans and complains in only what I can make out to be mumbles, but I ignore them as usual. He plops himself on the couch, and I immediately regret allowing him to do that because of the awful smell he brings into the house. He just sighs when I sniff the nasty scent and lets out a quite loud and obnoxious laugh. I just roll my eyes and collect the stuff to make the hot chocolate. It takes about five seconds before he starts complaining about how long I am taking. I just sigh and continue trying to block out the noises coming from his mouth.

I finally finish, and I quickly set the plate on the coffee table.

"Well thanks, sweetheart," he says genuinely. I can hear the sobriety in his voice, but the thought escapes my mind when he yells, "MMMM! Ohh this is just perfeeecct!" He exaggerates the "t" and gives me a strange drunk-like smile.

"Oh you're welcome. Now finish that up so you can get your butt into your own house so I can clean this nasty scent out of my living room," I snap, and I can see his face turn red with offense.

"Well someone is getting a little snappy, aren't they sweetheart?" He finishes his last gulp and before I know it he is out the door. To my surprise, he doesn't fall down the porch steps for the first time.

I gather all of the cleaning supplies, and I mean ALL OF THEM, in order to clean this nasty stuff off of my furniture. I spray the loads of each can onto the couch, and a fresh scent is finally filling the air of my home. I think about how lonely I am nowadays. Even though the games were dreadful to be a part of, I loved the feeling of having Peeta comfort me and warm me in my nights full of fears. I cannot even describe the feeling he gave me. He made me feel more confident. I'd always thought of myself as not very pretty, but the way he looked at me made me feel differently.

I think about every day the fact that I loved Peeta before I even knew I did. It was hard to express my feelings. I didn't want to hurt Gale. But I know that I loved Peeta the most, and even Finnick explained to me that when Peeta died. I owe Finnick so much, beyond words. Finnick. Soft tears fall down my face as I think about all of the people that I have lost in my life because of my stubbornness and failure. The thought makes me shiver, and I want to scream so badly.

I take a hold of the spray cleaning machine and almost throw it out of site. I stop, calm myself, and I take it back to the supply room. I decide it is time to cook some dinner for myself, and I might as well let Haymitch stop by. I was a little rude to him anyways.

I pull out some noodles and add in some turkey meet into boiling water. Later I add in some vegetables that I planted in my demolished garden rather long ago. I can smell the lovely scent of turkey soup making me even hungrier. Once I am finished cooking the soup, I run over to Haymitch's house located just steps away.

"Haymitch!" I yell banging on the door. He swings it open, looking quite normal.

"I made some soup. Wanna join?" I ask him. I can see the eagerness on his face.

"Yes I sure would, sweetheart," On that note I grab his wrist and take him over to my house. He sits directly at the end of the table and waits for me to bring his food.

"Katniss?" Haymitch asks my name.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to talk to you anyways," I stare at him in confusion.

"That whole thing with Peeta. It is going to be okay. It may not be as it was before, but I know that kid. He is a strong fighter and I know that he loves you and he wants to get better. The last time I talked to him, Katniss, I mentioned your name. He just smiled. He repeated, _"Katniss,"_ and he smiled. Then he mumbled under his breath, _"I miss her."_ I'm telling you, he knows exactly who you are. He knows that he loves you. You need to be strong," Haymitch tells me with such passion in his voice that only comes to me when he is giving me advice.

I begin to tear up. I tear up, like a lot. Then I actually cry. I cry, like a lot. I put the soup in his bowl, and I bring it over to him with tears all down my face.

"Thank you, Haymitch," that is all I say. And that is all we say about Peeta for the rest of the meal.

"So how's your hunting going?" he asks me.

"Well you know this turkey was shot right from Katniss Everdeen's hands herself. You know it's going well by the fresh taste of it, don't you?" I say in a feisty way.

"Look who is getting cocky. You are finally starting to become yourself again, sweetheart," he says to me.

"Oh, so you say I am always cocky?" I ask him sarcastically. He just laughs and shakes his head. We both let out a few laughs before he finally decides that he has stuffed his belly enough for the night. I hug him tightly and before I know it he is gone. For the time being, I did not feel as lonely as I normally do.

After a night full of bad dreams, I pop straight out of bed and into the warm, soothing shower. I spend about half an hour cleansing my hair and my body. I slip out of the steamy bathroom and a burst of air clings to my body. I rush to get a robe and I tie it around my body. Then I hear the phone ring loudly. It surprises my quite frankly. This is the first phone call I have had in ages, but I am anxious to see who would take the time to talk to my stubborn self.

I quickly trot down the steep wooden stairs and grab the phone before it stops ringing.

"Hello?" I ask, curiously.

"Hi. Is this Mrs. Everdeen speaking?" Someone asks in a very familiar voice.

"Yes… yes it is. May I help you?" I ask.

"Well, it looks like Mrs. Everdeen has come to be very polite, hasn't she?" The man says, and my desire to find out who it is grows stronger by the second.

"Who is this?" I say, getting pretty offensive.

Then his voice becomes more serious, and I get a clue of who it is.

"Katniss, listen. Just listen. Do not hang up. Just listen. Okay?" I reply back with a swift, "Okay," and he continues.

"The capitol took me in. I know you know that and I know you know what they did to me. I don't want you to suffer from this and neither do I. While I was staying at the capitol, and a few days after the war was over, my true memories actually returned. I went to see the doctor yesterday, and he told me that they invented a new medicine to rid of the venom completely. You don't understand how happy I am. I have been better for a while now, but I wanted to wait to tell you because I didn't want anything bad to happen to me like a flashback. They said that the only reason those would ever occur again is if we specifically mention something about a video they showed me to think you tried to kill me. And that would be rare even then. Katniss, I love you. I don't want to lose you again"

It takes me a while to get my thoughts together, but a spring of joy enters my body.

"Peeta. I know you tried hard. I want us to work things out. Will you come to District 12?" I ask him desperately.

"I already am here,"


	2. Chapter 2

Immediately there is a lump in my throat. I dont know whether i am happy or just in to much shock, because I can't even confirm Peeta that I understand. Instead, I just drop the phone and run over to the couch. I squeeze the pillow that was recently soaked with cleaning spray and just rock back and forth on the seat.  
It is just like the long time I spent on my rocking chair not wanting to live. Although this time, I want to be alive for this moment. I wasn't expecting Peeta to be here already, let alone call me only to inform me of him being normal. I'm not sure if he was calling me after he had planned for my death. But I can't think that way. His voice was just so... Peeta. I need Peeta. And Peeta needs me.  
After realizing that me sitting here and crying isn't going to get me to Peeta, I run out the door and barge into Haymitch's house.  
"Haymitch! He's here! Haymitch!" I yell at the top of my lungs.  
"Who is here?" A voice says. That's when I grab the chair sitting just under the table, and I clutch it as I slowly turn around.  
"It's okay, Katniss. It's me. It's Peeta," he says to me in a calming voice. Then he walks towards me in a soothing gesture, but something on my mind tells me otherwise. When he touches my shoulder, that's when it pulls the trigger.  
Before I can think, I start slapping and punching at him. Everything that surrounds me either shatters or finds some way to break. All I am doing is trying to protect myself, right? I begin to feel guilty but the rage continues. I am crying and screaming harder than ever before. What is wrong with me. Some noise in the background sounds and I know it isn't me who is making these noises. Then I hear him.  
"HEY!" Haymitch yells and splits Peeta and I apart. His face is filled with confusion and I know I have done something wrong.  
"I was only protecting myself. I didn't know what else to do!" I shout at Haymitch. I know he had anything and everything to do with the return of Peeta. Otherwise he'd be the one attacking Peeta to protect me.  
"Katniss I told you what happened. It's okay. You can trust me," he gently touches my back and I flinch a little, but then my body calms itself.  
I start to cry yet another time and soon after I think I run out of tears completely. Standing there silently, I don't say a word. Neither does Haymitch or Peeta. I hear distant talking outside of my unclear mind. I soon find out that Haymitch and Peeta are talking in low voices. I snap back into reality and say, "Peeta," in a calm voice I speak and I hesitate to grab his muscular body and hold it into my fragile and lonely one, but I eventually squeeze him tight.  
I squeeze him tighter and tighter and when I can't do so any more I just hold him there. I hold him like he is my father. Like I used to do with my dad before I went off to another day of school. But this hug is more of a sensual hug. When he hugs me it warms my body with love and trust. Trust. I trust Peeta. I trust Peeta. Soon enough I repeat out loud, "I trust Peeta...I trust Peeta," after a while Haymitch pats my back and replies, "You trust Peeta with all of yout heart. You love him. Right Katniss," I slightly shake my head yes and I decide to release from Peeta's shaken body.  
"Peeta, I'm sorry I..."  
"No Katniss. You have no reason to be sorry. I was the one who got this all messed up for us. I was the one who tried to.. Ugh. I honestly have no idea how to ask for forgiveness. I would never want this for you or for me. I just want you to know that I wouldn't do anything purposefully to hurt you this way. Can we just try to make this better? Now right away, but in a slow manner. Would you do that for me?" He asks me, touching my face softly.  
I nod in response balling my eyes out and say, "I love you, Peeta," and with out thinking I run straight into his comforting arms and the emptiness goes away. I hear sobs over towards the kitchen and it makes me choke up to see Haymitch actually crying. I laugh a little and Peeta joins.  
"It won't be perfect. But I will try. I know I can trust you," I tell Peeta. I wipe away a tear that falls perfectly down his face.  
After that, no one says a word for a good hour or so. I decide it would be best to leave Haymitch alone to himself again. Right as I hop off of the couch I've been sitting on, Peeta grabs my waist and turns me around. For a while, he just stares at every part of my face. I do the same. Before I open my mouth to speak, he kisses me. It is a short but relaxing kiss. He does this to remind me that he is better. I wouldn't mind a longer kiss, but I continue out the door and I prance to my house. Yes, I was prancing to my house. Dork.  
Tonight I decide to just heat up the leftover soup from last night. Once the timer goes off, I grab the bowl out of my microwave and chug the tasty soup down.  
As I am walking to the market, a few thoughts come to my mind. I guess I wouldn't mind getting married to Peeta, but that wouldn't be any time soon. I am only 19 and my mom would not approve of it until I am at least 20. Gosh, I haven't seen my mom in ages. I can't believe this but I actually miss her, a lot.  
I finally arrive at the market and I go straight to the section where the food is. I need vegetables, oranges, some milk, and some sugar. I hear the store door open, and I turn around to find Peeta walking in. I tell myself to get out of his sight, but instead, I just stare at him. I watch his every move and we then make eye contact.  
"Already falling in love with me?" He laughs and smirks at me.  
Crap.  
"Oh hush you," I snap at him and that is exactly what he does.  
"What are you up to?" He asks me as if he doesn't already know.  
I just hold up my food items in response, and he nods. I see him looking at the fine jewelry and curiosity strikes me. I am immediately interrupted when I see a hovercraft flying just outside of the store. A short, plump man is placed on the ground of district twelve. As soon as I recognize his face, I know something is up. That could only mean one thing...


	3. Chapter 3

Plutarch Havensbee.

The only times I actually talk to him is about something to do with the revolution. But the revolution is over, right? What exactly does this mean? I set my items down on a table next to where I sit, and I burst out the store door. Plutarch looks relieved to see me. Great, you need the mockingjay once again?

"Ah, Katniss Everdeen. How have you been?" he asks in a mysterious tone.

"How have I been? Well I don't know, Plutarch, I have nightmares every night about everything that has happened in my life. What are you doing here?" I snap at him.

"I thought so… I am here because I need to talk to you in the most private place possible," he whispers so no one can here.

Then I see Peeta walk his way towards us and I know what is coming.

"You ready?" he asks referring to Plutarch. Great. Now I am the only one who has no idea what is happening. Exept for…

"Haymitch, just on time," Plutarch looks towards the victors village. Haymitch is walking with an attitude determined by his body language. Now I know that something big is up or they are just planning to trick me. I just cannot get anything straight these days. Ugh. I let out a big sigh and I roll my eyes at the thought.

"Would someone like to tell me what's going on because I sure don't have any freaking idea about anything now," I yell at the three laughing men.

"Lets go to the woods and you'll see, sweetheart," Haymitch calms me and I roll my eyes again and his overused sweetheart word.

We walk towards the woods, and it takes a good five minutes to get there. On the way there, Peeta and Haymitch are cracking jokes and Plutarch is laughing so hard that his plump belly jiggles. I try to hold in my tempting laugh. Once we finally reach the gate of the fence I can see Haymitch and Plutarch struggle to get through it. Peeta and I laugh at the simplicity it took us to get through.

Finally, they get through the gate, and we walk a few more feet until we reach our satisfied destination. We all gather in a tight circle, and I prepare myself for the news to come. Haymitch, Plutarch, and Peeta all look at each other in confirmation to begin to tell me whatever it is they are about to say.

"Katniss. There is a big problem over in the Capitol. Some people are furious for the loss of their entertainment and they are not happy about the new government. People are setting fires to buildings and are stopped before they attack the districts. Things are getting worse. Maybe not from your perspectives, but from what we have examined from District 13, people want to kill us," Plutarch explains in an intimidating voice.

"And why was I the last one to know this?!" I yell, and I start to cry.

"Because we knew this would happen," Haymitch references to my crying.

I stop crying when he points that out. Why is there a revolution about to start again? This can't be happening. It can't!

Instead of screaming and running away, I just sit on the ground and pick a spot to stare at for a while. They all let me get my thoughts together before anyone says anything else. I think about the revolution that was just around a year ago. So many loved ones lost their lives because of it. Prim. Finnick. Bogs. I can't stand the fact that there is a possible revolution about to uphold. Why? My thoughts fill up my confused mind and I scream out loud in pain. A hurtful burning exerts throughout my body. My eyes are closed shut and all I see is black. Not the color black, but the darkness that fills me throughout and all of the pain and lives that were lost because of me. I DO NOT want to be their mockingjay again. I can't. I just can't!

They must have seen me screaming and noticed that I was furious. When I wake up, I am lying in a bed in my room which is darkened by the curtains over my windows. When my body shifts over to my left side, I see Peeta staring at me and I first notice that he is stroking my tangled hair. It makes me feel a lot calmer when he does this. All I do is I lay there and I watch him watching me. That looks he gives me just cannot be beat. I smile slightly at him, and I prop my head on his shirtless chest.

"Peeta, why does this have to happen to me?" I ask him in a low, whispered voice.

"Katniss, it's going to be okay. I will not let them make you do this unless it is your decision. When they first told me about it, I refused to be a part in it. The only reason I changed my mind was because of you. I wanted to be there for you whatever your decision was. Don't be scared. It will be okay," he whispers back to me, still stroking my hair.

"Thank you," I whisper to him. I give him a small kiss on the forehead, and he smiles and kisses me back.

"Come on, you can't just stay here all day. How about we go do something?" Peeta asks.

"Like what?"

"Like something special. Just the two of us," he smiles and picks me up and drops me off by the bathroom. He nods with his head towards the shower.

"But it first starts with this,"

"Are you saying I smell bad or something?" I ask him jokingly.

"Of course not. Better safe than sorry," he laughs and leaves me to myself in the shower.

I wash my hair and my body thoroughly. This day has to be special and I do not want to start off smelling bad. I use my favorite coconut shampoo and massage it on my scalp and my thick, dirty hair.

Once I am finished I hop quickly out of the shower and without thinking into my bedroom. Of course, Peeta is standing by the bed and turns around to see me with nothing but a towel to cover my body. Hmm, I wonder what he'll think of this. To make him mad I continue to walk by him and I grab my clothes out of my drawer. I make it look like right then and there I will dress, but instead I quickly run inside the bathroom door. Outside the bathroom, he shouts, "Katniss Everdeen. Why do you have to torture me?"

In response I just laugh loudly and obnoxiously. I get completely dressed and wrap my now clean hair in the towel.

"So what is your plan for today?" I ask Peeta curiously.

"Hmm. Well I was thinking of going to the meadow and having a full day picnic and swim at the lake. How does that sound?" Peeta asks me.

"Oh that sounds perfect," I reply to him with a smile.

The first thing we do is cook a small breakfast together: eggs and some toast. Then we gather four sandwiches, two apples, some water bottles, some left over crackers and cheese, and some cookies made freshly from Peeta's bakers' hands. We take a large picnic basket and I also bring my bow and arrow just in case I need it. Almost forgetting them, we get our swimsuits and some towels.

We take the long walk from the Victors' Village to the woods we were just at yesterday. Peeta and I dip under the open space in the gate and he struggles when his prosthetic leg gets caught on something, only coming up seconds later. The meadow is just a few yards away, and Peeta and I make our place near the abandoned house. It takes a few minutes for us to get our stuff set out.

We start out by having small conversations allowing the peacefulness of the nature sound in our ears. In the town, it is usually very busy and crowded. Once a high population of District 13's citizens eagerly arrived to rebuild District 12, they were at it right away. Now the town is busy with children, workers, and elders. It is a lot more comforting than it was before the revolution took place. That's for sure.

After we take the ten minutes to speak not once, Peeta and I begin to talk just as we did before. Even though Peeta came back and is as normal as ever, it has been awkward trying to start a conversation.

"Katniss, if you were to live in any other District, which one would it be?"

"Oh, I don't know. My views would completely be different before and after the revolution. Now that District 12 is a lot better. But I think I would choose District 4, because I always hear of the beautiful beaches. I've never been to a beach, well a natural made beach for that matter," I tell Peeta.

"That's a good choice. I would choose District 1 only because of the luxury they receive," he tells me. I laugh a little at his thoughts.

"Ha. Luxury," is all I say.

Once we finish our meal we head off to the lake and I realize once I get there that I don't even have my swimsuit on. Great. I get really uncomfortable changing in front of people.

"Peeta, I have to change into my swimsuit. I'll go over behind this tree and I swear if you peek you will regret it," I threaten him making sure he understands.

"Alright. I won't. you don't want to be threatened by Katniss Everdeen," he jokes with me.

"That's right."

I head of behind the tree checking for any sneaky moves, but he kept his word. He is off by the water cleaning his face. On that note, I quickly strip off my clothes and put on my black swimsuit that was a gift from the capitol which is a two piece. I have never even thought of wearing a two piece. I mean, I was rushing when I got out.

"Katniss, you done already," he yells

"Yea, yea I'm coming," I yell back. I slowly peek my head behind the tree and when he isn't aware, I run towards him and attempt to jump on him and scare him. Instead, I stop to find him shirtless wading in the water. Those muscles! What they can do to a girl.

"What are you looking at, sweetheart?" he says sarcastically and winks at me.

"Get over yourself," I laugh at him and I run and jump into his arms and we both splash in the lake water. The cold water hits me, and it warms up right away.

"Well that'll be easy, but getting over you is the worst thing in my life," he says once again with his perfect response.

"Who said you need to get over me, lover boy?" I smile, and he goes in to kiss me but I splash him right in the face instead.

"Oh you're going to pay for that, Girl on Fire," and soon enough he grabs me and throws me back into the water.

Then we have a splash war and from what I can tell, I am winning. Finally, he falls as if he has lost the battle. Then I slowly walk up to him and the sensation of me kissing him again finally approaches. We break apart and he smiles. I know for sure he was smiling because he was so happy that I finally kissed him.

"Wow, Katniss Everdeen. Is there ever a time when you are not beautiful?"


	4. Chapter 4

We spend the rest of the heartfelt day eating at swimming a little longer. Peeta and I both feel restless by the end of the day, and we soon take the long walk back home. Peeta is slowly trudging behind, but I continue with the consonant speed I walk.  
We suddenly approach the fence, and I remember why exactly we did this. To forget about all of what's happening around us that we try so hard to ignore. This time we can't ignore it. But this time, I don't want to be their Mockingjay. I will always be their Mockingjay, but I will not go back to District 13 to solve a problem that I am still recovering from. I cannot do it. I will not do it.  
"Katniss. Katniss? Katniss what's wrong?" Peeta taps on my shoulder.  
"Oh. Nothing. Just thinking," I say while opening the newly installed gate that easily opens up. We continue our walk home, and it is  
almost dark by now. Peeta walks me into the house and waits at the bottom of the stairs.  
"Well. I had a great time with you. Thanks for coming," Peeta says giving me a small peck on the cheek. I want to kiss him more, but I don't do it. I smile in return and that brightens his face. He heads to the door to open it only interrupted by my voice.  
"Peeta, will you stay with me?"  
"Always," he replies and kisses me again. We head up to the stairs and I feel confident that my nightmares will be no more. I change into my nightgown and Peeta into his pajamas. We both snuggle in each other's warmth and soon enough I'm off to a peaceful sleep.  
I wake up to the smell of fresh bacon and pancakes. I turn to see that Peeta is up and must be cooking. The clothes I change into are nicer than what I've been wearing, and I am guilty of trying to impress Peeta. Even though he is already impressed by me enough.  
After getting dressed and brushing my teeth, I slowly walk down the stairs to catch Peeta concentrated on the whipped cream he is swirling on top of the pancakes. He sees that I have come down and releases a big grin on his face. I smile back.  
"Good morning. I was just about to bring you breakfast in bed," he says smiling.  
"I couldn't wait another minute," I say back.  
I gather my thick hair which is wavy all the way down and put it off to the side. Peeta comes behind my chair and puts his warm baker's arms around my waist. I turn around and give him a quick kiss on the forehead.  
"Thank you. It's delicious," I say stuffing my face. "Sit down and eat some of it. Whoever made it is really talented," I say jokingly.  
"Oh, why aren't they?" He laughs back. We both continue to eat our breakfast.  
As we are putting up the dishes, I hear a loud knock on the door. I start to run to the door and then Peeta stops me, "I got it."  
I hear the door open and I creep around the corner to see who it is. It is Plutarch Havensbee. The idiot who thinks I am going to be his Mockingjay.  
Plutarch catches me and waves me over to him. I lazily walk over, regretting ever deciding to do so.  
"May I help you?" I ask sarcastically.  
"Well, I just wanted to check how you are doing" he answers. Giving a face of shock, I reply, "Oh, well fine. Thanks," not questioning him not mentioning the Mockingjay role.  
Without another word he leaves my porch and heads over to Haymitch's. Peeta gives me a reassuring look. But I stare at him in confusion. Before I ask anything, he heads back over to the kitchen and finishes the dishes.  
"Katniss, what would you think about going hunting?" He asks.  
"Oh that'd be great. But without you," I laugh, and he scolds.  
"That wasn't ever intended. Why would I do that to you?"  
"I never said you would," I retort.  
He just laughs in return, and I gather all of my gear. Out of the closet, I reach my game bag. I almost walk out the door, remembering that Peeta his here. I turn around, and Peeta is leaning against the counter with a shrug on his shoulders. Without hesitation, I run straight into his grasp. I smile at him and say, "Peeta Mellark." He raises his eyebrows. "I love you," there I said it. It is the first time since... Since I said it subconsciously in my head over and over for the past four years. It is the first time I have ever said I love you to a guy.  
"Honestly, I did not expect that from you. But hey, I love you too," he says.  
"Did you expect this?" Before he can answer, my lips and his are kissing. They are passionately kissing like never before. After a while, we break away. We stare into each other's eyes. I can't take my eyes off of his beautiful blue eyes. I love those eyes, and his hair, and his arms, his muscles. I love Peeta Mellark.  
Finally I reach the gate that enters into the woods. It has been a while since I have gotten to do this. I reach the woods and immediately I spot a squirrel swiftly clawing up a tree. Aiming my arrow, I shoot it straight in the eye.  
After a few hours of hunting, I decide that I will go to the abandoned house located near the lake. It takes awhile to reach it but finally I do.  
I sit down inside the house and I find it quite cozy. I listen to the birds outside. I decide to go out there to sing to the birds. Opening the door, I come face to face with two familiar people. I cannot quite catch who they are before I fall to the ground unconscious.


End file.
